# 2018 Michigan Attorney General election

Elections in Michigan :
Federal government
U.S. President
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
Dem
2008
Dem
GOP
2012
Dem
GOP
2016
Dem
2020
Dem
GOP
2024
Dem
GOP
U.S. Senate
1835
1840 (sp)
1841
1847
1849 (sp)
1853
1857
1858
1862 (sp)
1863
1865
1869
1871
1874
1877
1879 (sp)
1881
1881 (sp)
1887
1889
1893
1895
1895 (sp)
1899
1901
1903 (sp)
1905
1907
1907 (sp)
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1924 (sp)
1928
1928 (sp)
1930
1934
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1952
1952 (sp)
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House
1835
1837
1838
1840
1843
1844
1846
1847
1st sp
1848
1850
1852
1854
1856
1858
1860
1862
1864
1866
1868
1870
1871
4th sp
1872
1873
5th sp
1874
1876
1878
1880
1881
7th sp
1882
1884
1886
1888
11th sp
1890
1891
5th sp
1892
1893
1st sp
1894
1895
3rd sp
1896
1898
1900
1901
10th sp
1902
1904
1906
1907
5th sp
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1917
2nd sp
1918
1920
13th sp
1921
3rd sp
1922
1923
3rd sp
1924
1925
3rd sp
1926
1928
1930
1931
8th sp
1932
1934
1935
3rd sp
1936
1938
1940
5th sp
1942
1944
1946
1947
11th sp
1948
1950
1952
1954
1955
15th sp
1956
1958
1960
1961
1st sp
1962
14th sp
1964
1968
1970
1972
1974
5th sp
8th sp
1976
1978
1980
13th sp
1981
4th sp
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1993
3rd sp
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
11th
11th sp
2014
2016
2018
13th sp
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
State government
State elections
2010
2014
2016
2018
2020
2021
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1852
1854
1856
1858
1860
1862
1864
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Attorney General elections
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Auditor General elections
1962
State Senate elections
2002
2006
2010
2014
2016
4th sp
2018
2021 (sp)
2022
State House elections
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot proposals
1996Proposal E
2004Proposal 04-2
2006Proposal 06-2
2008Proposal 1
2012
Proposal 1
Proposal 2
Proposal 3
Proposal 4
Proposal 5
Proposal 6
2015
Proposal 1
2018
Proposal 1
Proposal 2
Proposal 3
2020
Proposal 1
Proposal 2
2022
Proposal 1
Proposal 2
Proposal 3 :
Detroit
Mayoral elections
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1834 (sp)
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1861
1863
1865
1867
1869
1871
1873
1875
1877
1879
1881
1883
1885
1887
1889
1891
1893
1895
1897
1899
1901
1903
1905
1907
1901
1903
1905
1907
1909
1911
1913
1915
1917
1919
1921
1923
1925
1927
1929
1930 (recall)
1930 (sp)
1931
1933
1935
1937
1939
1941
1943
1945
1947
1949
1950 (sp)
1951
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009 (sp)
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Flint
Mayoral elections
2015
2017 (recall)
2019
2022 :
Grand Rapids
Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2024 :
Lansing
Mayoral elections
2017
2021 :
vte :
The 2018 Michigan Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, alongside elections to elect Michigan's governor, Class I United States Senator, Secretary of State, Michigan's 14 seats in the United States House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the Michigan Senate, and all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette was prohibited from seeking a third term due to term limits, and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Michigan instead. The Michigan GOP was unsuccessful in winning its 5th straight attorney general election. Along with the offices of lieutenant governor and secretary of sftate, the nominees for attorney general were chosen by party delegates at their respective party conventions.
Nessel defeated Leonard by 115,000 votes, becoming the first Democratic attorney general of Michigan since 2003, when Jennifer Granholm left office to become governor.

## Republican Party
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Tom Leonard, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives

#### Eliminated at convention

* Tonya Schuitmaker, state senator

#### Declined

* Mary Beth Kelly, former associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court (2011–2015)

## Democratic Party
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Dana Nessel, civil rights attorney

#### Eliminated at convention

* Patrick Miles Jr., former United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan (2012–2017)
* William Noakes, former Wayne County Deputy Corporation Counsel

#### Declined

* Steve Bieda, state senator (running for Congress)
* Tim Greimel, state representative and former minority leader of the Michigan House of Representatives (running for Congress)
* Eric Smith, Macomb County Prosecutor

## General election
### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tom Leonard (R) | Dana Nessel (D) | Other | Undecided |
| Glengariff Group | October 25–27, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 45% | 5% | 17% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 18–23, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 39% | 39% | 9% | 13% |
| Michigan State University | October 13–22, 2018 | 169 (RV) | – | 40% | 37% | – | – |
| Marketing Resource Group | October 14–18, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 39% | 10% | 16% |
| Glengariff Group | September 30 – October 2, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 32% | 39% | 6% | 24% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 21–25, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 32% | 38% | 11% | 19% |
| Glengariff Group | September 5–7, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 42% | 5% | 24% |

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of October 21, 2018 :
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Tom Leonard (R) | $1,988,558.29 | $1,900,406.09 | $88,152.20 |
| Dana Nessel (D) | $1,573,966.91 | $1,329,134.98 | $244,831.93 |
| Source: Michigan Department of State ||||

### Results

Michigan Attorney General election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Dana Nessel | 2,031,117 | 49.04% | +4.85% |
| | Republican | Tom Leonard | 1,916,117 | 46.26% | −5.81% |
| | Libertarian | Lisa Lane Giola | 86,807 | 2.10% | +0.24% |
| | Independent | Chris Graveline | 69,889 | 1.69% | N/A |
| | Constitution | Gerald Van Sickle | 38,114 | 0.92% | −0.08% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,142,044 | 100.0% | N/A |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### By congressional district

Despite losing the state, Leonard won 9 of 14 congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats.
| District | Leonard | Nessel | Representative |
| 1st | 56% | 39% | Jack Bergman |
| 2nd | 56% | 39% | Bill Huizenga |
| 3rd | 52% | 43% | Justin Amash |
| 4th | 58% | 36% | John Moolenaar |
| 5th | 44% | 51% | Dan Kildee |
| 6th | 51% | 44% | Fred Upton |
| 7th | 53% | 42% | Tim Walberg |
| 8th | 49% | 46% | Mike Bishop |
| 8th | 49% | 46% | Elissa Slotkin |
| 9th | 40% | 55% | Sander Levin |
| 9th | 40% | 55% | Andy Levin |
| 10th | 60% | 36% |
| 10th | 60% | 36% | Paul Mitchell |
| 11th | 48.3% | 48.0% | Dave Trott |
| 11th | 48.3% | 48.0% | Haley Stevens |
| 12th | 32% | 64% | Debbie Dingell |
| 13th | 17% | 79% | Brenda Jones |
| 13th | 17% | 79% | Rashida Tlaib |
| 14th | 19% | 78% | Brenda Lawrence |